Beginning Again

Life has a way of snagging you and pulling you into a whirlwind when you least expect it especially if you have three teenagers living under your roof as well as a college student three hours away! Much has taken place since I last posted in March. We had one son severely injured in his last home football game on Senior night and who only this week went back to school after being out for more than eleven weeks! We had another son injure his ankle in a farming accident that only by a miracle of the Lord did he not lost his foot or worse his life! Our baby girl started driver's education and now has her permit! One son acquired his first job! So many other things I could have documented and did not. I had written only sporadically before March and mainly focused on great sales that I had found or books that I was reviewing. I will still do some of those same things but this year feels different.

I really want to re-focus and begin to journal again. It is in those times of quiet repose that I can hear the Lord speak to me ever so softly amongst this chaos called life.

This year...2010...is going to be a huge one in our home. Our second son will be graduating from high school in May and heading off to college in August. I will turn an age that I even hate to write down or utter for fear that I realize it is really happening...I am arriving at middle age! EGADS! I will turn 50 in June! How can it be? I mean in my heart I feel young, vibrant, full of life and yet in reality I am at a crossroads...mid-life. Soon we will have an empty nest and while I am very excited to see my children growing into young adults I find myself worrying if I have raised them right, given them the tools to make it in this life that is so full of uncertainty and strife. Have I pointed them to Jesus enough and His Word?

It feels good tonight to be up late pounding on this keyboard. The thoughts that are rolling around in my mind have taken up my precious sleep at night so perhaps the best way to solve those quiet conversations in my head late at night when everyone is asleep is to write them all down.

I first started this blog because I wanted to pursue a simpler life in all areas. My blog tag line says "A Christian Mom in pursuit of a more simplified life in all areas body, mind, spirit, finances, and health." I don't feel that I have pursued much of a simplified life in the last year. In my heart I long to but in reality I have felt like I have been on a bullet train speeding along praying I can keep all the various events of my life in balance. I have not done a great job of that at all. So begins the journey anew. That is one thing about our Father that I love....He can refresh and renew our hearts, minds, and lives. I am ready to get my plan of action going but the plan will have to wait until tomorrow. Until then...

WFMW - 1-16-08

I wanted to share something that has made my life a lot easier in the kitchen. I have a notebook that I call my "Kitchen Notebook". I keep it handy when I am cooking. I was never very confident in my abilities as a cook. I never really like a long recipe and the fact I never cooked a meal before I married added to my level of frustration. This is the main reason why my children are learning valuable lessons around the home like how to do laundry, how to run a home, cook, clean, budget, etc.

FoodNetwork has helped build my confidence in my abilities in the kitchen. I also love watching my favorite chefs cook without benefit of a recipe, at least that we can see.

Well there is one guy that I also love to watch on the Discovery Home Channel that never uses a recipe. His name is Michael Smith and his show is called "Chef at Home" This guy is great! He encourages you to keep a kitchen notebook. He writes down what he creates in a notebook he keeps nearby when he is cooking. He is inspiring to watch and his show has become a favorite of mine and a few of my children. I found that I was always creating things on the fly after work and on the times when I really hit it out of the ballpark with a home run, I never could remember everything I had put into the dish.

Many times lately my sixteen year old, who would love to be a chef one day, in addition of course to his NBA career and being an FBI agent, has reminded me to write everything down. I have found that it is also helpful to not throw away the cans/boxes/wrappers of whatever you are using until you are finished. I used to clean as I go and then when I was trying to remember everything I did not want to dig through the trash. Now I can count the items, write them down and have my recipe all ready for the next time I decide to make it for my family.

I encourage you to give it a try. It sure works for me! For more Works for Me Ideas, check out Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer

A little bit about my story, part one

Over fifteen years ago journaling became my release, passion, and way to communicate with my Father. I had endured the pain of divorce and the sudden loss of my dreams. I was raising a young son as a single parent and I was not happy about the prospect of that at all. What began as a journal, to keep track of what was taking place in my life, soon became my way of communicating with my Abba Father. At times, the feelings would become so powerful and the words would be swimming all around in my head that I would have to write them down, whether it was in the middle of a meeting, in the car waiting to pick up my son, in the middle of the night... it did not seem to matter when or where it was….when the Lord was speaking to my spirit, I stopped and wrote it all down.

When email became the instantaneous way to communicate with others, I began to send my musings/devotions via this wonderful medium. It was at this time that a friend from our singles encouraged me to write a book. She pointed out that I had the chapters and content if I would just compile my emails together. Life went on and I never got around to doing this. I played with it but felt that there was no end to the story. I could not seem to bring the book to an end. Besides I was no 'writer' or 'author' just someone who communicated in words with my Savior.

Fast forward to December 2000. My life was full and content. I had finally released my desire to remarry and had made peace with the Lord knowing that it was truly His will that I desired. I did not want to seek out a mate…that was for Him to take care of in my life. I was happy to be a single mom the rest of my life if that is where the Lord wanted me. The Lord truly has such a heart for his children! His plans are so intricately woven that it is hard to see how each event in one’s life has some purpose. We, in our humanness, can't seem to understand all the twist and turns our lives take, but each event, moment, heartache, and triumph has a purpose. There was a purpose in my pain. God had a reason for allowing the events in my life to take place.

December 6, 2000, was an ordinary day. I was thrilled it was Wednesday, because that meant I did not have to pick up my son after school at 2:30, since he had an after school enrichment class. I missed having a usual noon lunch hour since I had started using my lunch time to pick up my son each day from school. I did this in order for us to have a little extra bit of time together before I arrived home after work.

However, this day meant I could go out to lunch, run errands or various other things for that one hour. Around 2:45 pm I was suddenly startled out of my work mindset. I had been asked to do something for one of the VPs in our office and I had forgotten to do so. I jumped up from my seat and headed out of my office and up the hall to get the form I needed to fill out. I ran into our Russian student worker who had a confused look on his face. I asked him if he needed help and he said that he could not understand what the man at the front of the office wanted. I walked up and do not really remember much about how the man looked other than a very sweet smile, welcoming eyes, and that was about it. He needed to find the Athletic Director and wanted to know if I knew who it was. Of course I did! I had known the director since I was a young girl. He attended my church. I kept this information to myself but wrote down the AD’s information….that is all but his name! This nice man somehow made me a little nervous. Upon my giving him the post it note he then asked me, "And his name is?" I became flustered and said, "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry, his name is Mr. Wagnon.". I had written down everything but his name! As I pulled the note off the pad it flipped clear across the room! Man, I was really nervous for some reason. He thanked me and left and I turned and walked back down the hallway to my office. I never gave the man with the big, sweet smile a second thought. to be continued